Far Infrared Emissivity of Wood Material - Comparing the Three Heat Transfer Modes of Wood Box and Aluminum Box

In case of wood flooring, the high emissivity would be one of the most important properties especially as the cover material of underfloor heating system. The FIR (Far Infrared) materials such as wood emit FIR energy by heating, which has been used as the medical therapy such as dry sauna. This research investigated the emissivity and the emission power of wood composites by comparing the amount of the three heat transfer modes transferred by infrared radiation which came from the increased temperature of the bottom board of the plywood box by the heater. The results showed the value of radiation mode was the highest mode for the plywood box, and the convection mode was the main mode for the aluminum box. The rate of convection was 81.8% in the aluminum box and 48.2% in the plywood box, respectively. In case of the rate of radiation, the aluminum box showed only 15.4% and the plywood box showed 51%. The emissivity and the emission power of birch plywood showed the same values as those of wood. The amount of energy required for the temperature rising of water within vial in the aluminum box and in the plywood box were 3.32 kJ and 6.70 kJ respectively, which showed that the vial temperature of the plywood box was two times higher than that of the aluminum box.